Segments in this Video

Globalization Brings Prices Down(00:53)

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Globalization makes manufacturing cheaper but often has a negative impact on the environment. An expert outlines the subjects of this video.

Part 1: The Booming Clothing Industry(02:46)

Dhaka is the center of a large textile industry and accounts for 80% of Bangladesh’s export. Producing cotton into finished fabric uses 65000 kWh of electricity and 250 tons of water. The government has limited funds to control pollution and factories receive water before people.

Part 2: Environmental Impacts- Pollution(05:08)

Bangladesh's textile industry produces 56 million tons of contaminated water a year. Untreated waste flows freely from the factories straight into the river. A broken pipe releases toxic gases into homes above a textile factory; 50 people are hospitalized.

Part 3: Reducing Pollution(04:54)

A factory in Bangladesh is reducing their impact to meet inspection requirements. Continuous pad steam dyeing uses less water but dyes and chemicals are still in the waste water. Padma's effluent treatment plant is part of the environmental conservation act of 1995.

Part 4: Can Industry be Sustainable? Axminster Carpets, Devon, UK(05:34)

Axminster Carpets' treatment plant is a closed loop system. It uses a two stage cleaning process that allows the reuse of 400 tons of waste water; reducing carbon emissions. Experts are looking at ways to harness heat from the dye house for the ovens.

Part 5: Recycling Waste(03:14)

Axfelt 65 is an underlay made from layers of waste wool, bi-product latex, and rubber crumb from old tires. Machines can re-process half a ton of waste fibers an hour. Manufacturers are looking for a way to recycle carpet.

Part 6: Who Should Pay?(02:14)

Recycling waste is usually the result of poverty. Some believe that consumers in the developed world should pay the cost for environmental clean-up and protection.

Description

Dhaka is the center of a large textile industry and a significant contributor to Bangladesh’s economy, but the waste it generates is causing big problems: local residents must vie with factories for access to energy and clean water, but manufacturers are reluctant to implement expensive pollution controls. This program travels to Dhaka's slums to show the destructive effects of industrial pollution on both the environment and human health, then looks at efforts to clean up the manufacturing process. Case studies include Padma Dyeing and Weaving in Bangladesh, and Axminster Carpets, a U.K. textile factory located in a national park. Part of the series Issues in Globalization. (25 minutes)